Crohns / ulcerative colitis sufferers

[Vidar]

@hurfdurf I'd also love to know what damage these fighters have supposedly done to themselves with a carnivore diet, I don't know how well you know them but I suspect they've either not been doing it correctly or have been doing other things. I can think of atleast one doctor I know of who has both been a professional athlete and a strict carnivore for 10 years who is in perfect health. There is evidence of carnivore being our species appropriate diet and throughout history, evidence of many cultures living this way including Mongolians, Innuits the Masai with arguably far better health in general.

What I can say with absolutely certainty though is how much this has already improved my health. I'm also very fortunate to have an excellent GP who's aware of what I'm doing and monitoring my health. What I will say is I have a long way to go yet but in 4 months I've made tremendous improvements.

Since new years day this year I have been strict carnivore, no plants, no carbs, no sugar and nothing artificial. There's been nothing negative. So far I've lost a massive amount of weight down from approx 32st to as of yesterday 27st 8lbs, I've put my type 2 diabetes into remission from an a1c score of 65 in December to a score of 34 putting me right back in the normal none diabetic range. My as of yet undiagnosed gut issue, possibly Crohns seems to vanished and I am entirely symptom free. My gastroenterologist was utterly confused as to how as I've had debilitating symptoms for years. My low testosterone levels have improved slightly from 2.8 to 3.4. Blood pressure, kidney and liver function tests are all improved as is everything else that's being monitored. I've been able to come off quite a few medications.

Apart from recovering from covid, I feel better now than I did in my 20's. I'm also part of several carnivore communities and I've never seen anyone who has reported their health getting worse.

 

[hurfdurf]

I'd be interested to hear the disastrous issues they faced, as I've heard very strong arguments for carnivore.

I've tried many diets over the years, with carnivore I managed 5 days before giving up because I missed the food too much, so I didn't give it long enough, but my stomach was definitely improved on it. All anecdotal, of course.

@hurfdurf I'd also love to know what damage these fighters have supposedly done to themselves with a carnivore diet, I don't know how well you know them but I suspect they've either not been doing it correctly or have been doing other things.

There are a lot of arguments for Carnivore for sure, as I said, some people had amazing results and swear by it. I can see how it could be a great potential answer for some people and I’m glad people with this affliction have found it and it’s working well. All I’m saying is it’s a difficult diet to do, and it can go wrong if it’s not done properly and well. It’s certainly not a casual diet.

One I know got divurtivulits (sp?) that may have indeed been linked to doing “other stuff” (steroids/hgh/sarms etc), although he insists he is clean (doubt). Another was fine for around 6 months, raving about it, and then got very very sick and told to stop, don’t know him well enough to ask more, but I know he won’t go back to it.

 

[Vidar]

@hurfdurf Thanks for that information. Just my opinion but I suspect your friend developed divurtivulits possibly from eating nothing but lean meats. am going to disagree with you though on this being a difficult diet to do. I've tried countless diets over the years, all of which have left me feeling miserable with very few results that I couldn't maintain long term.

In its simplest form all you have to do is eat animal products, don't eat not animal products and eat whenever you're hungry until you've satiated yourself and that's it. Yes there's an emphasis on fatty cuts of meat as it turns out fat doesn't make you fat and cholesterol is actually good for you, it's Triglycerides you want to watch out for. Fat also lubricates the bowel as it was supposed to do without causing micro abrasions in the gut like fibre. You'll also need to poop less frequently as there isn't as much waste.

Sorry went on a bit of a tangent there. The only reason people find this way of eating hard is because they don't want to give up carbs sugar coffee etc but when you realise that nothing tastes as good as getting healthy feels and that ceap is slowly killing you it becomes a none issue

 

[Moley]

@hurfdurf Thanks for that information. Just my opinion but I suspect your friend developed divurtivulits possibly from eating nothing but lean meats. am going to disagree with you though on this being a difficult diet to do. I've tried countless diets over the years, all of which have left me feeling miserable with very few results that I couldn't maintain long term.

In its simplest form all you have to do is eat animal products, don't eat not animal products and eat whenever you're hungry until you've satiated yourself and that's it. Yes there's an emphasis on fatty cuts of meat as it turns out fat doesn't make you fat and cholesterol is actually good for you, it's Triglycerides you want to watch out for. Fat also lubricates the bowel as it was supposed to do without causing micro abrasions in the gut like fibre. You'll also need to poop less frequently as there isn't as much waste.

Sorry went on a bit of a tangent there. The only reason people find this way of eating hard is because they don't want to give up carbs sugar coffee etc but when you realise that nothing tastes as good as getting healthy feels and that ceap is slowly killing you it becomes a none issue

I am currently doing keto for weight loss. I would be interested in hearing what you typically eat in a day for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner - if you even have three meals - and snacks.

 

[dowie]

@hurfdurf Thanks for that information. Just my opinion but I suspect your friend developed divurtivulits possibly from eating nothing but lean meats. am going to disagree with you though on this being a difficult diet to do. I've tried countless diets over the years, all of which have left me feeling miserable with very few results that I couldn't maintain long term.

In its simplest form all you have to do is eat animal products, don't eat not animal products and eat whenever you're hungry until you've satiated yourself and that's it. Yes there's an emphasis on fatty cuts of meat as it turns out fat doesn't make you fat and cholesterol is actually good for you, it's Triglycerides you want to watch out for. Fat also lubricates the bowel as it was supposed to do without causing micro abrasions in the gut like fibre. You'll also need to poop less frequently as there isn't as much waste.

Sorry went on a bit of a tangent there. The only reason people find this way of eating hard is because they don't want to give up carbs sugar coffee etc but when you realise that nothing tastes as good as getting healthy feels and that ceap is slowly killing you it becomes a none issue

Why are you posting this stuff - do you have Crohn's or UC?

Also did you see this post, who suggested the carnivore diet?

Suggested by whom?

One issue with Crohn's is that you're already suboptimal at absorbing nutrients thanks to inflammation/scarring, trying an (arbitrarily) restrictive diet doesn't seem like a very good idea.

Best to speak to a dietitian for advice (ideally one who specialises in IBD) and not a nutritionist (anyone can call themselves a nutritionist) before trying diet-related stuff for Crohn's.

 

[hurfdurf]

nothing tastes as good as getting healthy feels

I think if more people understood this, diets would be far more successful. I’d be wary of it as a slogan though, it’s close to the pro Ana “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”

Why are you posting this stuff - do you have Crohn's or UC?

Also did you see this post, who suggested the carnivore diet?

I don’t, but a new co worker of mine mentioned she has it, and I don’t know anything about it so thought I’d do some reading as it popped up. Then I saw mention of carnivore diet and I’ve got a bit of 2nd hand experience with that, and it’s a topic that interests me, so I thought I’d post.

 

[Vidar]

I am currently doing keto for weight loss. I would be interested in hearing what you typically eat in a day for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner - if you even have three meals - and snacks.

Happy to share, typically I only eat once a day but sometimes twice if I feel hungry again. Usually that's if I've eaten something lean like chicken earlier in the day. Typically most days it's red meat, usually a couple of 10oz Ribeyes or 20% fat mince with some combination of either eggs, bacon, seafood or hard cheese, though I limit dairy. Other days I'll go for something like a nice big chunk of pork belly or lamb. I tend to feel noticeably better on just beef though.

How you doing with the Keto? I found that while I lost weight I didn't feel half as good as I do now and it didn't help my gut issues.

Why are you posting this stuff - do you have Crohn's or UC?

Also did you see this post, who suggested the carnivore diet?

Sorry, I'm sure I replied to that post. It was recommended to me by a Doctor I happen to know personally who has been a carnivore for 3 years and recommend it. My Gastroenterology consultant also confirmed its very similar to the elimination diet they would suggest and is doing wonders for me so to stick with it.

I don't know if I have Crohns or UC yet, I'm still waiting on the diagnosis though I've been told it's likely Crohns. I posted this here because having spoken with several people from carnivore communities who have claimed to be diagnosed chrohns or UC and that this way of eating has helped them in a massive way some even claiming remission. Myself personally, am now symptom free.

I wanted to see what people's thoughts about it where on here as well.

 

[Vidar]

@hurfdurf Noted, I do remember that stupid quote which is why I altered it.

Interestingly go without putting slow acting poison in your body for a few weeks or months and try something you used to crave. I had a chicken burger a couple of weeks ago in a social setting as I didn't want to be rude, just the one mind. I didn't enjoy it, Within minutes felt like I had a brick in my stomach and took me a couple of days to feel right again.

 

[Manbatius]

Anyone have issues getting critical illness cover ? With Crohn's or colitis ?

I'm just revisiting this now after a couple of years but in short.

Most wouldn't cover due to having Colitis.
Colitis seems a major issue to them, despite having all large bowel removed....
Cheapest was circa £100 a month but it excluded so much stuff it was a bit pointless.

 

[Thekwango]

Anyone have issues getting critical illness cover ? With Crohn's or colitis ?

I'm just revisiting this now after a couple of years but in short.

Most wouldn't cover due to having Colitis.
Colitis seems a major issue to them, despite having all large bowel removed....
Cheapest was circa £100 a month but it excluded so much stuff it was a bit pointless.

yea, i'm about 70 quid a month for critical illness cover (with relatively mild colitis) but genuinely considering binning it off mainly because, as you say, there are so many exclusions that it is pretty much pointless.

 

[DanTheMan]

Anyone have issues getting critical illness cover ? With Crohn's or colitis ?

I'm just revisiting this now after a couple of years but in short.

Most wouldn't cover due to having Colitis.
Colitis seems a major issue to them, despite having all large bowel removed....
Cheapest was circa £100 a month but it excluded so much stuff it was a bit pointless.

Haven't actually done any quotes since surgery. I presume we have to declare UC still, even though no longer having a colon clearly reduces / resolves the symptoms.

 

[Manbatius]

Haven't actually done any quotes since surgery. I presume we have to declare UC still, even though no longer having a colon clearly reduces / resolves the symptoms.

Yes still have to declare. When I had my last appointment with the bowel specialist. She was all congratulations your cured, but you can still get an issue with your eyes. I thought thanks for the great cure.

Depends on the person also if people go pouch route etc. I kind of get that, I've illeoetomy permanent personally. But it seems colitis generally regardless of surgery type makes a lot either unavailable or crazy pricey.

Worth noting for others in the thread as well.
(I went income protection in the end instead)

Thekwanko thanks for your post. That makes me feel a bit better that someone else had similar costs. Everyone round me at the time said it was crazy but I never thought to post on here (also middle of House move at time so manic)

 

[Thekwango]

Thekwanko thanks for your post. That makes me feel a bit better that someone else had similar costs. Everyone round me at the time said it was crazy but I never thought to post on here (also middle of House move at time so manic)

that's how i got roped in to paying silly money too. we were just in the process of moving, so mortgage advisor was giving it the hard sell. couple of months after buying i went to one of those online broker type places (suggested by moneysavingexpert website) and while they got the cost down by a couple of quid a month it's still, imo, nuts. i'd understand the high monthly if they were covering me for the things i'm more likely to get due to colitis but to exclude them (and anything even remotely related) makes it pretty much a nonsense.

 

[spp]

I too have had trouble getting critical illness cover recently with colitis. Didn’t cost too much more than normal about 6-7 years ago. I cancelled that policy when I sold my house and moved in with my partner. We recently bought a house and I was refused critical illness cover and life insurance from a couple of the big names due to covid. Going to revisit this over the weekend. Probably won’t look to get critical illness cover but would like life insurance.

 

[tang0]

Got told I've now got Ankylosing Spondylitis, anyone else have this? Supposed to be linked with Crohn's as it shares the same gene (or something)

​

 

[Tephnos]

Happy to share, typically I only eat once a day but sometimes twice if I feel hungry again. Usually that's if I've eaten something lean like chicken earlier in the day. Typically most days it's red meat, usually a couple of 10oz Ribeyes or 20% fat mince with some combination of either eggs, bacon, seafood or hard cheese, though I limit dairy. Other days I'll go for something like a nice big chunk of pork belly or lamb. I tend to feel noticeably better on just beef though.

How you doing with the Keto? I found that while I lost weight I didn't feel half as good as I do now and it didn't help my gut issues.



Sorry, I'm sure I replied to that post. It was recommended to me by a Doctor I happen to know personally who has been a carnivore for 3 years and recommend it. My Gastroenterology consultant also confirmed its very similar to the elimination diet they would suggest and is doing wonders for me so to stick with it.

I don't know if I have Crohns or UC yet, I'm still waiting on the diagnosis though I've been told it's likely Crohns. I posted this here because having spoken with several people from carnivore communities who have claimed to be diagnosed chrohns or UC and that this way of eating has helped them in a massive way some even claiming remission. Myself personally, am now symptom free.

I wanted to see what people's thoughts about it where on here as well.

How did your diagnosis start? Did s blood test show inflammatory markers and they started digging deeper or something? Also, how is the carnivore diet going some months on?

 

[Tephnos]

Thanks mate, I thought this too.

I attribute this almost entirely to my gluten and dairy free diet. I also try to be as active as possible, sleep well, get out as much as I can, that sort of thing. I'm very fortunate that my IBD symptoms are very sensitive to diet.

How have things gone since then?

 

[Vidar]

How did your diagnosis start? Did s blood test show inflammatory markers and they started digging deeper or something? Also, how is the carnivore diet going some months on?

Basically, yeah. After things started getting worse symptoms wise and became quite debilitating, I approached the GP and started the tests.

Honestly I've fallen off the wagon a bit recently out of necessity but feeling noticeably worse and symptoms returning. Struggling with cravings a bit but know that will pass quickly enough

 

[mattyg]

So, Looks like the AZA isn't doing its stuff anymore. So they are talking about biologics now.

Had a colonoscopy last month to check nothing else is going on which i'm glad to say apart from the colitis and 1 small "diverticu thingy" nothing else untoward was found.

 

[Maccapacca]

So, Looks like the AZA isn't doing its stuff anymore. So they are talking about biologics now.

Had a colonoscopy last month to check nothing else is going on which i'm glad to say apart from the colitis and 1 small "diverticu thingy" nothing else untoward was found.

I went from azathioprine to infliximab infusions. No joke as the first infusion went in it switched off my colitis then and there.

I was so ill on azathioprine and even worse on prednisone.

Fast forward they dropped me down to self administered pens then they messed the prescription up and I missed a month then I tried not taking it for three months, now a year and nothing has returned so much so my specialist keeps bumping my appointments, he says come back when you need to.

Hope they work as well for you